SAMPLE REPORT

Dyslexia Screening
Test Senior
(DST-S)

Not for clinical use

*Summary for Thomas Atkins*

Number of scores at --- 5

Number of scores at -- 3
Number of scores at - 0

At Risk Quotient = 1.7

*Diagnosis is 'strongly at risk'*

*Test Score At risk Decile*

Rapid Naming 30 o 6
Bead Threading 8 + 7
One Minute Reading 12 --- 1
Postural Stability 19 --- 1
Segmentation 5 --- 1
Spoonerisms 8 -- 1
Two Minute Spelling 6 --- 1
Backwards Span 3 -- 2
Nonsense Passage 24 --- 1
One Minute Writing 11 -- 1
Verbal Fluency 11 o 3
Semantic Fluency 13 o 4
Non-Verbal Reasoning 8 + 9

------

*DST-S results for Thomas Atkins*

Thomas Atkins of Dotheboys Secondary School was tested on 15/12/2002 by Angela

Fawcett. At the time of the test, he was 11:11 years old, and so the norms for
11:6 to 12:5 years were used.

The DST is a 30 minute, nationally-normed screening test designed by Dr. Angela

Fawcett and Prof. Rod Nicolson of the University of Sheffield, and was first
published in 1996 by The Psychological Corporation, 32 Jamestown Road, London
NW1 7BY. The DST-S is the second edition (2004) and is designed for testing in
secondary school age (11:6 to 16:5 year old) children. It is intended for use by
education professionals, and provides an overall 'at risk' index for likely
literacy difficulties, together with a 'profile' of scores on a range of skills
that provide a basis for identifying appropriate support strategies or for
referral for further testing by an appropriately qualified psychologist.

It should be stressed that the score here is a snapshot of the performance at

a particular time on a particular day. Performance can vary as a function of
time of day, illness, confidence and other factors. There are also systematic
variations in all performance indicators in terms of the childs and the
schools general background and resources. In general one might expect the
average performance of children from a disadvantaged background to be slightly
below the norms here. Of course the key point is that performance should improve
following appropriate support, and this screening test is intended to provide
useful information on how this can best be done. Additional suggestions are
given in the DST-S manual.

*At Risk Quotient*

The overall 'At risk Quotient' was 1.7
This is in the lowest 4 percent for children of this age and is considered a
'Strongly at risk' score.
*Profile*
The profile of skills is Very Spiky, with overall performance noticeably below
average.
There are relative weaknesses in Literacy, Balance, Phonological, Memory.
There are relative strengths in Speed, Fluid, Dexterity.

*Outline Diagnosis*
Because there is a risk of reading failure, it is appropriate to consider the
likely significance of the profile of scores in indicating whether dyslexia may
be an underlying problem, or whether it is more likely to be caused by generally
low literacy.
We must emphasise that the DST-S is a screening test not a formal diagnosis.
Hence these notes are only indications that may help subsequent diagnosis.
Neither the authors nor Harcourt Assessment take any responsibility for the
outline suggestions given here.

There are seven signs of dyslexia, namely:

- At Risk Quotient (ARQ) is 1.7 - Strongly at risk;
- Very Spiky skills profile;
- Weak literacy (mean 1 - in the lowest 5 percent).
- Discrepancy of 4.83 points between fluid IQ and phonological skills
- Weak phonological skill (mean 1.67 - very significantly below average).
- Good fluid intelligence (mean 6.5 - noticeably above average).
- Poor balance (mean 1 - in the lowest 5 percent).

*Percentile Ranges*

The _Band_ column shows how performance compares with other children in the same
age band. There are 10 bands, with band 1 corresponding to the lowest 10%; band
5 corresponding to percentile 41-50 etc. In summary, the percentiles show:
- lowest 20%: One Minute Reading, Postural Stability, Segmentation,
Spoonerisms, Two Minute Spelling, Backwards Span, Nonsense Passage, One Minute
Writing
- below average: Verbal Fluency, Semantic Fluency
- average: Rapid Naming
- above average: Bead Threading
- top 20%: Non-Verbal Reasoning

*Implications of DST-S scores*

Rapid Naming: average performance
Bead Threading: Good performance normally indicates a well-organised eye-hand
system, and may or may not be associated with good reading subsequently.
One Minute Reading: Weak performance normally reflects either low literacy
knowledge or general lack of fluency in reading.
Postural Stability: Weak performance is normally associated with slight problems
in the vestibular system, or possibly low muscle tone.
Phonemic Segmentation: Phonological skill is a critical component of learning to
read and spell, helping the child to perceive regularities and patterns in word
sounds. Weak performance indicates likely problems in learning to read fluently.
Spoonerisms: Weak performance may reflect a difficulty in verbal working memory
and in articulatory fluency.
Two Minute Spelling: Weak performance normally reflects either low literacy
knowledge or general lack of fluency in spelling.
Backwards Span: Weak performance normally reflects a lack of efficiency in the
working memory system, but this can arise from a number of causes (including
attentional deficit, lack of familiarity with the digits, or even hearing
problems).
Nonsense Passage: Weaknesses in Nonsense Passage Reading indicate an over-
reliance on rote word learning, and a lack of understanding of the regularities
of the writing system. They are symptomatic of early stages in learning to read.
One Minute Writing: Slow speed of writing normally indicates a lack of writing
fluency. This may arise from a general slight motor problem or from poorly
learned writing skills.
Verbal Fluency: average performance
Semantic Fluency: average performance
Non-Verbal Reasoning: Good performance indicates good problem solving and good
levels of attention. It is usually associated with good achievement.

*Implications for dyslexia*

One Minute Reading: Children with dyslexia or general literacy difficulties may
perform poorly on this test.
Postural Stability: Many children with dyslexia show balance problems, whereas
children with generalised poor literacy usually show good balance.
Phonemic Segmentation: Most children with dyslexia or with generalised poor
literacy usually show phonological difficulties, often into adulthood.
Spoonerisms: Most children with dyslexia or general literacy difficulties may
perform poorly on this test.
Two Minute Spelling: Children with dyslexia or general literacy difficulties
will normally perform poorly on this test.
Backwards Span: Many children with dyslexia, general poor literacy or
attentional problems will perform poorly on this test.
Nonsense Passage: Most children with dyslexia or with general poor literacy will
perform poorly on this test.
One Minute Writing: Many children with dyslexia or with general poor literacy
will perform poorly on this test.

*Implications for support*

One Minute Reading: Difficulties with One Minute Reading indicate that further
reading support is needed, and that a more in-depth analysis of reading speed,
accuracy and comprehension might be undertaken.
Postural Stability: There are several exercises designed to help with balance,
but there is debate over whether such exercises help with reading. Nonetheless,
there is considerable evidence that balance board and catching exercises can
significantly improve a child's confidence and general performance. Postural
Stability is best seen as an index of the efficiency of the child's vestibular /
muscular system rather than as a pointer to literacy support.
Phonemic Segmentation: The phonics component of the UK Literacy Strategy is
designed to improve phonological skills. It may also be valuable to check such
issues as whether the child can break a word down into syllables, and a syllable
down into phonemes. See the DST-S manual for further references.
Spoonerisms: The phonics component of the UK Literacy Strategy is designed to
improve phonological skills. Games such as Pig Latin are also good methods of
building skill and fluency.
Two Minute Spelling: Difficulties with Two Minute Spelling indicate that further
spelling support is needed. Specific suggestions for spelling support are given
in the DST-S manual.
Backwards Span: Weakness on Backwards Span is an important diagnostic indicator,
in that it suggests that the child may have difficulty remembering more than one
thing at a time - a serious difficulty in many classrooms. There are no specific
exercises for helping with working memory, though attempts to get the child to
concentrate on the task, and to monitor his/her performance can be valuable.
Nonsense Passage: Weakness on Nonsense Passage Reading is an important
diagnostic indicator, in that it suggests that the child is not fully aware of
the regularities in written language. There is some evidence that practice with
nonsense words has a beneficial effect, but the more traditional approach is to
use 'word families' to indicate each of the many regularities to be learned.
Children with dyslexia find this skill one of the most intractable.
One Minute Writing: Weakness on One Minute Writing is not an important
diagnostic indicator as such, in that difficulties can arise from various
sources. However, given the importance of sheer writing speed in examination
performance, if there are other indicators of literacy difficulties, weakness in
writing may provide a basis for a request for extra examination time.
*Summary for Thomas Atkins*

Number of scores at --- 5

Number of scores at -- 3
Number of scores at - 0

At Risk Quotient = 1.7

*Diagnosis is 'strongly at risk'*

*Test Score At risk Decile*

Rapid Naming 30 o 6
Bead Threading 8 + 7
One Minute Reading 12 --- 1
Postural Stability 19 --- 1
Segmentation 5 --- 1
Spoonerisms 8 -- 1
Two Minute Spelling 6 --- 1
Backwards Span 3 -- 2
Nonsense Passage 24 --- 1
One Minute Writing 11 -- 1
Verbal Fluency 11 o 3
Semantic Fluency 13 o 4
Non-Verbal Reasoning 8 + 9

------

*DST-S results for Thomas Atkins*

Thomas Atkins of Dotheboys Secondary School was tested on 15/12/2002 by Angela

Fawcett. At the time of the test, he was 11:11 years old, and so the norms for
11:6 to 12:5 years were used.

The DST is a 30 minute, nationally-normed screening test designed by Dr. Angela

Fawcett and Prof. Rod Nicolson of the University of Sheffield, and was first
published in 1996 by The Psychological Corporation, 32 Jamestown Road, London
NW1 7BY. The DST-S is the second edition (2004) and is designed for testing in
secondary school age (11:6 to 16:5 year old) children. It is intended for use by
education professionals, and provides an overall 'at risk' index for likely
literacy difficulties, together with a 'profile' of scores on a range of skills
that provide a basis for identifying appropriate support strategies or for
referral for further testing by an appropriately qualified psychologist.

It should be stressed that the score here is a snapshot of the performance at

a particular time on a particular day. Performance can vary as a function of
time of day, illness, confidence and other factors. There are also systematic
variations in all performance indicators in terms of the childs and the
schools general background and resources. In general one might expect the
average performance of children from a disadvantaged background to be slightly
below the norms here. Of course the key point is that performance should improve
following appropriate support, and this screening test is intended to provide
useful information on how this can best be done. Additional suggestions are
given in the DST-S manual.
*At Risk Quotient*
The overall 'At risk Quotient' was 1.7
This is in the lowest 4 percent for children of this age and is considered a
'Strongly at risk' score.

*Profile*
The profile of skills is Very Spiky, with overall performance noticeably below
average.
There are relative weaknesses in Literacy, Balance, Phonological, Memory.
There are relative strengths in Speed, Fluid, Dexterity.

*Outline Diagnosis*
Because there is a risk of reading failure, it is appropriate to consider the
likely significance of the profile of scores in indicating whether dyslexia may
be an underlying problem, or whether it is more likely to be caused by generally
low literacy.
We must emphasise that the DST-S is a screening test not a formal diagnosis.
Hence these notes are only indications that may help subsequent diagnosis.
Neither the authors nor Harcourt Assessment take any responsibility for the
outline suggestions given here.

There are seven signs of dyslexia, namely:

- At Risk Quotient (ARQ) is 1.7 - Strongly at risk;
- Very Spiky skills profile;
- Weak literacy (mean 1 - in the lowest 5 percent).
- Discrepancy of 4.83 points between fluid IQ and phonological skills
- Weak phonological skill (mean 1.67 - very significantly below average).
- Good fluid intelligence (mean 6.5 - noticeably above average).
- Poor balance (mean 1 - in the lowest 5 percent).

*Percentile Ranges*

The _Band_ column shows how performance compares with other children in the same
age band. There are 10 bands, with band 1 corresponding to the lowest 10%; band
5 corresponding to percentile 41-50 etc. In summary, the percentiles show:
- lowest 20%: One Minute Reading, Postural Stability, Segmentation,
Spoonerisms, Two Minute Spelling, Backwards Span, Nonsense Passage, One Minute
Writing
- below average: Verbal Fluency, Semantic Fluency
- average: Rapid Naming
- above average: Bead Threading
- top 20%: Non-Verbal Reasoning

*Implications of DST-S scores*

Rapid Naming: average performance
Bead Threading: Good performance normally indicates a well-organised eye-hand
system, and may or may not be associated with good reading subsequently.
One Minute Reading: Weak performance normally reflects either low literacy
knowledge or general lack of fluency in reading.
Postural Stability: Weak performance is normally associated with slight problems
in the vestibular system, or possibly low muscle tone.
Phonemic Segmentation: Phonological skill is a critical component of learning to
read and spell, helping the child to perceive regularities and patterns in word
sounds. Weak performance indicates likely problems in learning to read fluently.
Spoonerisms: Weak performance may reflect a difficulty in verbal working memory
and in articulatory fluency.
Two Minute Spelling: Weak performance normally reflects either low literacy
knowledge or general lack of fluency in spelling.
Backwards Span: Weak performance normally reflects a lack of efficiency in the
working memory system, but this can arise from a number of causes (including
attentional deficit, lack of familiarity with the digits, or even hearing
problems).
Nonsense Passage: Weaknesses in Nonsense Passage Reading indicate an over-
reliance on rote word learning, and a lack of understanding of the regularities
of the writing system. They are symptomatic of early stages in learning to read.
One Minute Writing: Slow speed of writing normally indicates a lack of writing
fluency. This may arise from a general slight motor problem or from poorly
learned writing skills.
Verbal Fluency: average performance
Semantic Fluency: average performance
Non-Verbal Reasoning: Good performance indicates good problem solving and good
levels of attention. It is usually associated with good achievement.

*Implications for dyslexia*

One Minute Reading: Children with dyslexia or general literacy difficulties may
perform poorly on this test.
Postural Stability: Many children with dyslexia show balance problems, whereas
children with generalised poor literacy usually show good balance.
Phonemic Segmentation: Most children with dyslexia or with generalised poor
literacy usually show phonological difficulties, often into adulthood.
Spoonerisms: Most children with dyslexia or general literacy difficulties may
perform poorly on this test.
Two Minute Spelling: Children with dyslexia or general literacy difficulties
will normally perform poorly on this test.
Backwards Span: Many children with dyslexia, general poor literacy or
attentional problems will perform poorly on this test.
Nonsense Passage: Most children with dyslexia or with general poor literacy will
perform poorly on this test.
One Minute Writing: Many children with dyslexia or with general poor literacy
will perform poorly on this test.

*Implications for support*

One Minute Reading: Difficulties with One Minute Reading indicate that further
reading support is needed, and that a more in-depth analysis of reading speed,
accuracy and comprehension might be undertaken.
Postural Stability: There are several exercises designed to help with balance,
but there is debate over whether such exercises help with reading. Nonetheless,
there is considerable evidence that balance board and catching exercises can
significantly improve a child's confidence and general performance. Postural
Stability is best seen as an index of the efficiency of the child's vestibular /
muscular system rather than as a pointer to literacy support.
Phonemic Segmentation: The phonics component of the UK Literacy Strategy is
designed to improve phonological skills. It may also be valuable to check such
issues as whether the child can break a word down into syllables, and a syllable
down into phonemes. See the DST-S manual for further references.
Spoonerisms: The phonics component of the UK Literacy Strategy is designed to
improve phonological skills. Games such as Pig Latin are also good methods of
building skill and fluency.
Two Minute Spelling: Difficulties with Two Minute Spelling indicate that further
spelling support is needed. Specific suggestions for spelling support are given
in the DST-S manual.
Backwards Span: Weakness on Backwards Span is an important diagnostic indicator,
in that it suggests that the child may have difficulty remembering more than one
thing at a time - a serious difficulty in many classrooms. There are no specific
exercises for helping with working memory, though attempts to get the child to
concentrate on the task, and to monitor his/her performance can be valuable.
Nonsense Passage: Weakness on Nonsense Passage Reading is an important
diagnostic indicator, in that it suggests that the child is not fully aware of
the regularities in written language. There is some evidence that practice with
nonsense words has a beneficial effect, but the more traditional approach is to
use 'word families' to indicate each of the many regularities to be learned.
Children with dyslexia find this skill one of the most intractable.
One Minute Writing: Weakness on One Minute Writing is not an important
diagnostic indicator as such, in that difficulties can arise from various
sources. However, given the importance of sheer writing speed in examination
performance, if there are other indicators of literacy difficulties, weakness in
writing may provide a basis for a request for extra examination time.